


Deep Breaths, Henry

by larkofchaos



Series: Henry Oak and his Boys [2]
Category: Dungeons and Daddies (Podcast)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Henry Oak has panic attacks, father-son bonding, lark calms him down, oak emotional scenes are my rleigion, sparrow's just.... there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:07:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26055436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/larkofchaos/pseuds/larkofchaos
Summary: One fact Henry never told his kids was that he had panic attacks. Quite regularly, if he's being honest. Most of the time, he manages to slip away while Mercedes is home. But, an episode starts when he's home alone with his beautiful boys, so naturally this is the one time they actually come to ask his permission for something before they do it.Lark is surprisingly good at calming him down.
Relationships: Henry Oak & Lark Oak, Henry Oak & Sparrow Oak
Series: Henry Oak and his Boys [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1891336
Comments: 4
Kudos: 34





	Deep Breaths, Henry

Henry doesn't know what triggered this particular episode. He was fine not even twenty minutes earlier. His legs were shaking so bad he wouldn't dare try to stand, his chest felt like it was being absolutely smashed by some imaginary weight. No matter how deep a breath he tried to take, the air wouldn't enter his lungs. This was a doozy and without Mercedes here to soothe him through it he doesn't know how long he'll have to sit here crying in the dark and unable to breathe.

"Hey, Fatheeeeer!" He heard one of his boys call, fast footsteps running up to him. It's hard to believe those beautiful twins were already sixteen. He remembered when they were just babies he was cradling in his arms. Lark would always cry when Henry tried to put him down.

The door creaked on its hinges as it was pushed open by whichever not was coming for Henry's attention at the moment. Henry buried his head in his knees and curled in further on himself. The room was spinning and his legs twitched from the strain of shaking so ungodly bad. Why was he shaking so bad?

"Lark and I wanted to- Dad?" Henry tucked his head between his own arm and the wall, feeling another wave of sons come up. Lark and Sparrow aren't supposed to be the ones who find him like this.

"Fuck!" He blurted, never the father to swear in front of his kids but today was a certain exception.

He knew Sparrow was at his side now crouching down and sitting next to him. Henry also knows Grant has panic attacks too, just as bad as Henry's can get. And that Lark is the chosen one to calm Grant down from the really bad ones. But this isn't Lark, this is Sparrow.

Sparrow who was currently just giving Henry an awkward hug in hopes of it doing something.

"Lark! Hey, Lark! Dad's- I think Dad's having an episode?" He called to his brother who was lord knows where in the house. He sounded unsure and nervous. Henry realized the boys didn't exactly know Henry had panic attacks, he liked to hide this side of himself from his kids.

Henry let his boy pull him close and just hold him there, trying his best to help his father. The footsteps leading into the room reminded Henry of the years of listening at all hours for the footsteps of Barry... The fear in the moments leading up to him opening his bedroom door. The usual punishments that would follow.

He mumbled something about that.

He heard Lark say something to Sparrow, but he couldn't make it out above the sound of his own screaming head. The comforting arms left him and he was alone again. Alone in his terror.

Lark's calloused hands took hold of Henry's forearms, pulling them carefully off Henry. "Hey, hey, Pa, look at me. Can you look at me?" Lark moved his hands so they were holding Henry's. He got a distant, glassy stare from Henry, but it was something. He pushed Henry to lay down and crossed his arms across his chest. Henry looked a bit panicked for a second.... Well, more panicked than he already looked. Lark sat over him, straddling his abdomen. "Dad. Dad, you're good. It's me."

"What're you doing Lark? If this is one of your games it's really not the time, my darling boy. You know I love playing games with you but now is not the time,,I promise i'll-"

"Dad, s'not a game. Deep pressure, I do it with Grant when he has bad ones." Lark leaned his upper body forward on Henry's arms, pressing down so the weight put mild pressure across his upper body. "The weight is supposed to be grinding. Tell me if it makes it worse or something." Lark watched as Henry closed his eyes and leaned his head back. He focused on the pressure on his chest. It wasn't the skull-crushing, terrifying and horrendous pressure he usually felt during an episode. The weight of Lark felt more like a strong hug, or when he'd let the boys lay on him when they took naps as kids.

"Lark, r-remember when you boys were little, and you'd always get into all sorts of trouble and drag Sparrow down with you in mischief? You were such a little demon, sometimes. But, in the good kind. I always loved watching you cause your chaos on the playground or backyard, it was such a pure form of child-like whimsy. I never understood why some parents wanted to beat that whimsy out of their kids." Henry rambled. He started just... Talking. Telling old stories of the boys. Talking through them always helped settle him. Lark listened to his stories, and once Henry's breathing events he pulled himself off his dad and let Henry sit up. And Henry felt stable for the moment.

Sure, his legs felt numb as they finally crossed their violent trembling, and his hands were still giving him this static-y feeling and felt like a broken TV connection when he tried to move him. But he could tell he was on this plane, not some other plane that he didn't know. He was right here, with his boys.

"You feel okay, Pa?" Lark asked, sitting criss-crossed in front of Henry.

"Y-yeah. I'm okay now. Thank you, Lark." He took a deep breath, shaking out the stiffness in his hands. "I'm sorry, what did you boys need? You needed something."

"How long has this been a thing?" Sparrow blurted, looking at Henry with a mix of eagerness and concern. Lark nodded, looking to Sparrow then giving Henry the same look. God, they were so similar.

"What do you mean? You gotta be specific, Sparrow." Henry started popping his knuckles to fully bring himself back into his body.

"The panic attacks! Did these start in the Realms? I didn't-"

"I know. I never told you two, cause I just... I dunno. I didn't. I'm sorry, you should've known. But, I've had this for a long long time. Since I was Prince Hen, even. I'm sorry I didn't tell you boys, i really should have before you found out on your own like this."

Lark was the first to hug him. Engulfing him in one Lark Oak-Garcia's iconic hugs. Lark didn't just hug someone, he enveloped them. Wrapped them up in his arms with a protectiveness over his person that only Lark could possess. Henry knows Lark can and would kill a man if it meant protecting one of his people.

Sparrow came in next, joining in on the hug. He was more gentle and mother hen-ish. Like he was just trying to provide a soft comfort rather than protect you from the world. He always had been more gentle than Lark.

"Alright, boys. Thank you, but, seriously, what did you need?" He pushed them off, pulling himself to his feet and stomping his foot a couple times to get used to the feeling of the ground.

"Teej wanted to go out to the park. Can we go?"

"Yeah, of course. You boys go on. I'm gonna go make some food."


End file.
